Sound record



Ami 19 0 1,625,705

F. C. HINCKLEY SOUNDRECORD Filed Ma 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 I BY ATTORNEY 1,625,705 April 19, 1927. .F. C. HINCKLEY 4 SOUND RECORD Filed May 9,.1924 2 Sheets-Sheet 3 5 fuzz/6 67/ 51201549} ATTORNEY ill theasound grooves. This is due to the fact Patented Apr. 19,1927.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANK C. HINGKLEY, OI STRATFORD, CONNECTIGUT, ASSIGNOB T0 COLUMBIA IPHON0- GRAPH. COMPANY, INC.,

OF BRHJGEPORT, CONNECTICUT, A WSORPORA'IION OF NEW SOUND RECORD. L

Application filed May 2'9, 19%. Burial Ito. $16,695.

die out before raising the stylus from the.

wax; hence, we find on each record several of these blank grooves at the end.

These grooves offer the serious ob ect1on of making easily audible the scra ing sound of the needle across the record sur ace, which sound had been made largely inaudible throughout the rest of the record, by the music recorded therein.

The number of blank grooves provided, depends, also, somewhat upon personal preference, the type of recording e uipment used, etc., and varies widely with di erent records.

When a needle has entered the terminal dition to the usual scraping sound, a distinctly audible clicking sound at each revolution of the record. This clicking sound is caused by the needle engaging the end or tail of the cross-over groove that leadsthe needle into the terminal circle. Further, in use, the needle travels over the terminal groove many times more than it travels over that the needle, upon reaching the terminal circle or groove, must stay there until the machine, upon which the record is being played, is stopped, or until the needle is raised above the record. So, it usually happens that the record makes a numbervof revolutions, with the needle in the terminal circle, after each playing.

In this way, the needle soon wears away the hard outer surface of the record and contacts with the softer low-grade material usually forming its body. Such low-grade material soon presents a rough surtace for the needle to travel on, and the noise is increased. Even though the record he not of laminated construction, the high-grade materials of the record will. be brought to the surface of the same, due to the application of heat and pressure when the record is being pressed.

It quite often happens that the needle jumps the wall at the inner side of the terminal groove -and skids across the record, mutilating the label.

The foregoing and other evils which 'wil later appear, are corrected by this invention.

An object of this invention is to provide a record wherein the lead-in, between the cross-over groove and the terminal circle, is

so related to the terminal circle, that the needle having entered the latter there will be no further contact between the needle and the lead-in, or tail, of the cross-over groove.

Another object is to provide a terminal circle having its inner wall so designed as to hold the needle within the groove and to prevent its skidding over the face of the record and destroying the label.

Yet another object is to provide a record particularly useful in connection with a phonograph equipped either with a set-stop or a non-set-stop, since the record will cooperate with either. type of stop to expedite the stopping of the turn-table after the reproducing of the last recorded sound, and

at a predetermined position from the records center.

Still another object is to provide a record with a'wide terminal circular groove, whereby the frictional wear and noise created by engagement of the needle with the record,

while in the terminal groove, is materially less than in the ordinary type of terminal groove, and which will rovide additional wearing surface-both re ative and actual to compensate for the increased wear in this groove.

A further objectof the invention is to provide a record wherein the blank grooves heretofore appearing at the end of all phonograph records, are largely done away with,

thus further making possible a silent groove- 1 ending.

A still further object is to provide a record' having across-over groove and terminal circle so designed, individually and in combination, as to produce a practically silent groove-ending.

An additional object is to produce arecord having the qualifications above enumerated and which may be recorded, and manu factured in quantity, at no greater cost than that of the ordinary record.

()ther objects will appear as the description proceeds.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is afragmentary plan view of a record showing the new terminal circle and the large-pitch-spiral crossover groove connection therewith, there being illustrated, for the sake of comparison with Fig. 4, a number of blank grooves.

Fig. 2 is a greatly enlarged fragmentary view of the region 2-2 of Fig. 1, to illustrate clearly the connection of the crossover groove with the terminal circle.

Fig. 3 is a greatly enlarged sectional view along the line 3-3 of Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrows.

Fig. 4 is a plan view' of a record constructed in accordance with the invention, the recording being shown as extending up to the beginning of the hi h-pitch groove, this being in contradistinction to the form shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a greatly enlarged sectional view taken substantially along the line 5-5 of Fig. 4, the view being taken looking in thedirection indicated by the arrows. Fig. 6 is a fragmentary enlarged vlew 11- lustrating the manner in which a needle fits into an ordinary groove or terminal circle. Fig. 7 is a similar view illustrating some of the positions a needle may occupy in the improved terminal circle of this invention.

Fig. 8 is a vertical sectional view on the line 88 of Fig.2.

Similar-reference characters are applied to similar parts throughout the severalviews of the drawings.

The sound-groove 1 of the record 2 is in all views, for the sake of clearness, greatly exaggerated, it being understood that the sound-groove of the record formin this invention is to be of the usual size, at may be of any other size. As shown in Fig. 1 the record has several blank or music ess grooves at its inner end, the same being designated 3 for distinction, the last part of the music grooves being designated b 3.

By reference to Fig. 4, it will rea ily be seen that in a record constructed in accordance with one feature of this invention, the recording extends practically up to the beginning of the high-pitch cross-over groove 3. This groove 3 extends, in this particular embodiment, for substantially three-fourths'of a revolution and leads into a trio running.

the terminal circle 6 in the manner detailed in Fig. 2. The recording may, if desired, be extended partly over on to the cross-over groove, so that less than even a half turn of blank groove obtains after the last sound wave. But, as the cross-over groove extends for less than a convolution, and as only an instant of time elapses while the record moves to have the needle passover this distance on its face, it is not really essential that the recording extend onto the cross-over groove.

The cross-over groove 3", beginning at 7, gradually diminishes in depth and width until the tail 8 thereof merges into the outer wall. of the terminal circle. This tail 8 formed by the cross-over groove, passes just through, the outer perimeter of the terminal circle (3. This tail 8 enters the circle near the upper edge of the outer wall of the latter, as best shown in Fig. 2. A comparison of groove '3" in Figs. 3 and 5 will make clear the manner in which the groove decreases in depth.

The terminal circle 6 is of relatively greater width as compared with the sound grooves. Its outer wall 9 is concave, or in the form of a gently sloping curved embankment, as best shown in Figs. 3 and 5. A relatively steep or buttress-like side 10 forms the inner wall of the circle. The bottom of the circle is flat or inclines toward the inner wall, or both, and when a needle enters the circle through the tail 8, it slides slowly down the sloping embankment, moving in the direction of the wall 10, and riding back and forth, some places in between, as the record revolves. After the needle has entered the circle 6, subsequent revolutions of the record, even should it be running eccentric, will not cause the needle to hit the tail of the spiral. This is due to the sloping outer wall dro ping it, in less than a revolution, away rom its point of entrance, and to the inclined bottom of the groove, causing the needle to move toward the inner wall 10. The tail 8 of the cross-over groove 3", being disposed above the bottom of the terminal circle, the needle cannot contact therewith, and the cause of the clicking sound above-mentioned is thus eliminated.

In Fig. 1 is. shown a record wherein the center hole 11 thereof is placed concentric of the record. A record having a hole so positioned will not, of course, cause eccen- However, in Fig. 4 there is shown, in dotted lines, an eccentrically placed hole. A record so made will revolve eccentrically, and will cause the needle to travel back and forth across the groove 6. This will reduce the wear in any particular part of the terminal circle; and since nearly all records are more or less eccentric, their quiet operation and long life at this weakest point will be greatl enhanced. The needle will not, however, lie moved with sufficient force to carry it up the wall 9 far enough to permit .it to contact with the tail 8. 1 The relatively steep wall .or buttress 10 prevents the tone-arm forcing the needle out of the circle 6 and across the record. In this way, the possibility of the label being destroyed by such action on the part of the needle, is removed.

Terminal grooves or circles of ordinaryconstruction are of the same width as the sound grooves. But in the case of this invention, it is noted that the terminal circle is much wider than the sound grooves. is a feature which further materially reduces the amount of noise resulting from the,

scraping of the needle on the bottom. of the terminal circle. For, in the case of ordinary terminal circles (Fig. 6), a portion of the sides, as well as the ends of the needle, comes in contact with the record. However, with a wide terminal groove, as shown in Fig. 7, such as that forming this invention, only the end of the needle contacts with the record. Owing to this reduced contact, the

frictional wear between A the record and needle is materially reduced, and the amount of noise produced correspondingly lessened.

Also, as suggested by Fig. 7, and due to the eccentricity as above suggested, or for other reasons, the needle may move back and forth across the bottom of the groove, in various positions, as per the dotted lines. This being true, the needle will not ride in the same place all the time, and thus the record at this point will not only not be prematurely worn away, but the record surface will stay smoother for a longer period of time, with consequent further lessening of noise.

In addition to the advantages already pointed out, there is an additional advantage flowing from the employment of the groove 3". Owing to its high pitch, the groove has an abrupt ending. -VVere the groove of less pitch, its tail would be more drawn-out and tine, and would soon be broken and worn down; and the uneven surface presented would serve with the needle to make an obnoxious noise at each revolution of the record. The ending resulting from the employment of the high-pitch groove is sturdy and less likely to become broken or distorted, and, accordingly, the occasion of the noise, referred to above, less likely to be present.

A record made in accordance with this invention may be advantageously used on a phonograph equip d with an automatic stop mechanism 0 the non-set type. The non-set stop is only operative after the cessation of inward movement of the tone-arm. l/Vith the blank grooves at the end of the record eliminated, thenee'dle enters the terminal circle as soon as the reproduction is fin- This ished, and within a short time the brake will be applied. This invention permits the brake to be more promptly applied since there are no blank grooves at the end of the record to delay the stopping of inward movement of the needle, which would prevent the application of the brake. Almost immediately after the-reproduction has been 3 completed, the needle has passed through the cross-over groove to the terminal circle,

which is the end of its inward movement.

Also, the record forming this'invention .may be successfully and advantageously used on a phonograph equipped with a setstop mechanism. These for the most part depend upon a high-pitch cross-over "groove to swing the tone-arm in past a predetermined point to release a brake mechanism. With this record, the brake will be set with- .111 a minimum of time after the last note has been reproduced. This is so because the nal circle provided with a substantially ver-' tical inner wall and a sloping outer wall, and having a high-pitch cross-over groove gradually decreasing in depth and entering the circle near the upper edge of the sloping wall.

A phonograph record having a terminal circle rovided with, a concave outer; wall and a uttress-like inner wall, and having a high-pitch cross-over groove gradually decreasing in depth and entering the circle near the upper edge of the concave wall.

' 3. A silently ending phonograph record including a body portion having a terminal circular groove provided with a sloping outer wall, and having a high pitch leadingthe upper edge of the wall and connected with the sound groove.

in groove entering the circular groove near Y l. In a phonograph record having a ter-' minal circular groove provided with a slop 1 ing outer wall, means for conducting a reproducing stylus to a point within said groove andlnear the upper edge of said wall thereof upon the completion of the playing of said record.

5. A phonograph record having a groove gradually decreasing in depth towards its end, said record havingan endless groove and the end of said first groove piercing the of said record, and said wall adjacent the wall vof the. endless groove adjacent the .uppoint of entrance of said reproducing stylus 10 per edge thereof. r sloping toward the other wall of said 6. A phonograph record having a termi-- groove. nal circular groove, means for conducting a Signed at Bridgeport, in the county of reproducing stylusto a point within said Fairfield, and State of Connecticut, this groove and near the upper edge of one wall 22nd day of May A. D. 1924.

thereof upon the completion of the playing FRANK C. HINCKLEY. 

